
Monkeypox, a rare tropical disease spread by wild animals in West Africa, has unexpectedly spread abroad over the last two months, posing questions about what precisely it is and how dangerous it might be.
There are now 2,768 confirmed cases in the UK as of 4 August, as well as 91 probable cases, with infections reported in many countries outside of Africa, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO), including the US, Mexico, Argentia, Australia, the UAE, Spain, Portugal, France, Germany, Italy, Sweden, and India.